In fact, I *would* pick forces of different tech levels, to show off how well the point system handles such match-ups.

-Will

True, I might have to experiment with a couple of designs to see if I can build a shield-less fleet and see how it fairs against a shielded fleet.

-Will

Argh, that is really bad news indeed!  :cry:

-Will

LOL, ok, this is sort of what I wanted to hear anyway! 

In that case maybe we should just fix Britain's fleet as a reference point and scale everyone else around them?

-Will

I use #1, actually pretty much the reasons hundvig listed- the implementation of #2 is 'off' as far as I'm concerned.  Going fast in a straight line doesn't really help you much- the guy's gunners will just compensate and still bracket you, it will just take longer.  It's the ability to zig-zag faster and change speed more quickly that makes smaller ships hard to hit.

So to my mind #1 is more accurate, or at least a better abstraction- the smaller vessels are making continous small course changes that doesn't effect thier movement in game terms to throw off enemy gunners, while the big ships don't have that option (and hence are easier to hit).   At least, that's how I envision the rule representing the 'reality' of the situation.

-Will

Hmmm, still pretty high.  If we stick with the GDP approach I might have to re-think my alternative Balkan League history.

I don't recall much of my economics, but does't GDP measure consumer spending, local investment and goverment spending?  If so, that means GDP really isn't a great measure of a nation's wealth in terms of producing a military-industrial complex at all, since goverment spending is already accounted for (aka GDP consumes the goverment's wealth, it doesn't create it).  If we are going to pick a statisitic to base assumptions I think it would be better to grab something that is more directly applicable, such as tons of manufactured/industrial goods produced anually or something along those lines.

The factors do help, but I still think it's a lot of work for something that could just as easily be done without any calculations at all, just level headed extrapolation.  I guess I'm not so much opposed as I am not grasping the necessity of locking into such a system.

As for the objective nature of the statistics, I've found that objectiveness has very little to do with military budgets.... 

-Will

No, but there's no reason that you can't!

The only black marks I see against Nemo himself going to space are-
1) No ramming, so the ether-Nautilus loses a lot of it's flavor.
2) No enviroment to protect- Nemo was after humanity for exploiting the oceans, not just for personal profit.  So unless there's a sudden appearence of an Ether-whaling industry.... 
3) As a whole Nemo is a product of the Victorian era, while IS is firmly Edwardian.

Actually, I'd be interested in hearing what people think of piracy in Iron Stars.  At the 'present day' I have a hard time seeing Ether-pirates as viable, but as traffic increases from the earth following asteroids and commericial space stations are built I can see several ways it could arise.

-Will

Thanks guys!  As I said, any specific points you think I should change feel free to pipe up.  I don't know how effective the League's slight emphasis on orbital bombing will be (though I imagine the League's leaders love the idea of flattening Istanbul) but that's the slight 'innovative' edge the League has in the pre-WWI era it appears.

@murtalianconfederacy- great idea on the name, consider the idea yionked.  Thank you.  8)

-Will

Balkan League short history-
The Balkan League formed to fight Turkey in 1912.  In this universe possibly include Romania and have Greek involved in the first Balkan War only as an associated power (this makes the league as a whole more like to be pro-White Russia).  One way to avoid the post-Balkan war fracas that destroyed the League historically is to make the establishment of an independent Macedonia one of the League's goals.  So I'd propose the League in Iron Stars consists of Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania and Macedonia, with the Greeks and White Russians counted as allies.

Design Philosophy-
The Balkan League Combined Fleet has several issues it has to address when it comes to designing ships.  First, the League is poor.  Dirt poor.  The A.B.C powers are wealthy by comparison.  That means every ship is a precious and almost irreplaceable asset.  Therefore, League ships tend to cram as much armor onboard as possible.  Additionally, every ship has be something of a jack of all trades as the League can't afford specialists.  Second, the League concentrates most of their worry and effort on the Turks, almost to the point of having tunnel vision.  This heavily influences the League's design process, as the League will try to counter anything the Turks have and tend to ignore anything the Turks don't.  For example, as the Turks currently lack any ships capable of carrying FAC's the League doesn't worry too much about FAC defense (and at present doesn't field any themselves).

Sofia class Light Bombardment Cruiser-
The Sofia class was ordered by Bulgaria as a rather conventional light cruiser design in late 1910.  Constructed alongside several smaller destroyers by the Germans, it was intended to server as Bulgaria's flagship and main orbital deterrent.  With the British attack on Buenos Aires soon the Bulgarians insisted the design be heavily modified to serve in the role of a 'bomber'.  It was hoped that a ship such as this would intimidate the other Balkan powers and allow the ether-navy to contribute greatly to Bulgaria's security.  However, the radical interior changes needed to add bomb-bays after construction has commenced forced the turret arrangement to be shifted, resulting in one of the poorest set of firing arcs on any Ether-vessel.  With the formation of the Balkan League Montenegro helped Bulgaria to fund the construction of a second vessel of the same class (the ship operates with a Bulgarian captain and a Montenegrin XO at all times).
Sister Ships- one, name TBD

Sofia class Light Bombardment Cruiser
Hull: 5 (S/2) PV: 21
Armor: 2
Thrust: 7
Primaries: -
Secondaries: 2/d8(x2)
Light Guns: 6/d4(x1)
Torpedoes: -
Bomb Racks (2)
[1-9] [10] [11-15] [-] [16] [17-20]

Pliven class Light Cruiser-
The Russians have always been great supporters of Pan-Slavic unity (or so the Russians like to claim).  When the Balkan League formed the White Russians hoped to advance their cause and gain influence over the new alliance by offering them the uncompleted keel of a Petrograd Light Cruiser at a cut-rate price.  After specifying several changes to the design (principally in the area of adding additional armor protection, which unfortunately slowed the ship down and necessitated removing much of the expendable ordnance) the League ordered the ship completed in Russian yards.  The ship is run by a multi-national crew, which makes shipboard life 'interesting' to say the least.
Sister Ships- none     

Pliven class Light Cruiser
Hull: 8 (S/2) PV: 35
Armor: 2
Thrust: 5
Primaries: 4/d6(x2)
Secondaries: 4/d6(x1)
Light Guns: 6/d4(x1)
Torpedoes: 2/d6(x2)

[1-9] [10] [11-13] [14-15] [16-17] [18-20]

Bucharest class Strike Cruiser-
While the destruction of the Haberver in the Italo-Turkish war was a great relief to the League the Cellat still has to be 'dealt' with.  The League decided a battleship was out of reach at the present time, and even if it was the League couldn't agree on the specifications!  The Romanians decided to expand their contribution to the Combined Fleet and ordered a 'battleship killer' from their White Russian allies.  The ship was fairly unconventional, featured 3 large single turrets and a keel bombard.  With very low thrust for a ship it's size, many observers (and the crew) criticize the design, stating that 'it better be able to fight battleships, that's the only thing it can catch!'
Sister Ships- none

Burcharest class Strike Cruiser
Hull: 11 (M/2) PV: 50
Armor: 3
Thrust: 4
Primaries: 3/d10(x2)
Secondaries: -
Light Guns: 6/d4(x1)
Torpedoes: 2/d8(x3)
Keel Bombard

[1-11] [12-13] [14-15] [16-17] [-] [18-20]

Vasil Levski class destroyer-
The Bulgarian destroyer ordered at the same time as the Sofia class, the Vasil Lavski has become the standard destroyer of the Balkan League.  More fluff coming.
Sister Ships- several

Vasil Levski class Destroyer
Hull: 1 (VS/0) PV: 6
Armor: 1
Thrust: 6
Primaries: -
Secondaries: -
Light Guns: 2/d4(x1)
Torpedoes: 2/d8(x2)

[1-3][4-5][6-16] [-] [-] [17-20]

Stefan Nemanja class Light Cruiser-
Serbian design, haven't worked the fluff out yet.  Basically one of the 'jack of all trades' mentioned above. 
Sister- possibly one

Stefan Nemanja class Light Cruiser
Hull: 6 (S/2) PV: 25
Armor: 2
Thrust: 6
Primaries: 2/d8(x2)
Secondaries: -
Light Guns: 6/d4(x1)
Torpedoes: -
Mine Factors (2)
Bomb Racks (1)

[1-10] [11] [12-15] [16] [-] [17-20]

So that's my first pass on the Balkan League.  I tried to avoid making them too powerful, as you'll notice no battleships or even any particularly large crusiers.  I tried to make them quirky but useful, but I'm afraid I moved too far into the ‘quirky' range.  So please give me any feedback, negative will be useful as positive in this case!  Anyway, based on the ships I've designed so far I'd anticipate the Balkan League having 4-5 light cruisers, 1 larger cruiser and 6-8 destroyers, which I figure is reasonable considering the multiple nations involved and the Balkan's international situation.  Also want to emphasis that nothing is set in stone to my mind, I'm willing to listen to all suggestions, fluff-wise and design wise.

-Will